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Montezuma County Fire Ban Lifted

Courtesy of Emily Rice/The Journal
File photo of the Burro Fire in June.

Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office announced the countywide fire ban has ended, effective immediately. 

The ban, enacted April 16, ends after a summer of western wildfires making national news, such as the 416 Fire that burned over 50,000 acres in neighboring La Plata County.

 

Montezuma County lifted the ban just days after Mesa Verde National Park did the same and the Plateau Fire’s closure ended. San Juan National forest also lifted its ban in July.

 

Four Corners counties, including Montezuma, remain in either an “extreme” or “exceptional” drought rating — the two most intense classifications — by the U.S. Drought Monitor. However, a decreased fire risk due to lower temperatures and increased precipitation prompted officials to make decisions on lifting various bans and closures.

 

Controlled burns remain unauthorized when wind warnings and red flag days are in effect. The sheriff’s office requires Cortez dispatch to be contacted at 970-565-8441 for controlled burn approval.

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